Peppers are commonly broken down into three groups: bell, sweet and hot peppers.
Hot peppers include chili peppers, Chinese and South American varieties, to name a few.
Chili peppers are rated on a scale called the Scoville Heat Scale to determine the heat or piquancy that they hold.
A Scoville Heat Unit or SHU is the rating given to a pepper to determine how much capsicum a pepper contains.
A green bell rates at 0 SHU while the jalapeno can rate in at 2,500 - 5000 SHU.
One of the hottest peppers, the naga jolokia from India, can rate in at over a million SHU.
When shopping for chili peppers for your favorite chili con carne or salsa recipe you probably will not have access to a Scoville Scale.
So how do you tell how hot a pepper is going to be? Here are 5 tips: 1.
How thick is the pepper? Thicker produce is often less spicy than thin ones.
2.
What is its size? Thick large or long chili peppers will have more heat than small or thin chili peppers.
3.
Hold a taste test.
When buying chilies grab an assortment to take home and taste.
You can learn about the piquancy of a pepper by having a taste test.
Remove the end tip of a pepper and touch it to your tongue.
The oils in the pepper are what you taste when judging for heat.
The tip will be mildest part of a pepper.
Keep milk or bread by your side to absorb the heat if it is too hot.
Water will not get rid of a hot taste in your mouth.
4.
Is it ripe or unripe? The color of a pepper will give you a hint as to how hot it is.
For instance, a light green pepper will be milder than a dark green one.
The darker the pepper, the more ripe it will be and its heat level goes up because of it.
Hot cherry peppers are red when ripe.
So a red, hot cherry pepper will be the spicier choice.
Remember that the type of chili plays a factor, too.
A green, unripe Habanero will still be one of the hottest varieties available and its ripened sister will just be hotter.
5.
What type of pepper is it? Of course the heat level of the chili pepper will also vary by the strain that is.
Jalapenos are actually a milder form of pepper than most would believe.
The jalapeno rates in at 2500 to 5000 SHU while a Serrano doubles that at 10000 SHU or more.
Both peppers will add a degree of piquancy to your recipes like chili con carne.
One more tip worth mentioning.
The seeds and the inside white rib of a chili pepper are the hottest part of a pepper.
To tone down spiciness, remove the seeds and ribs before using the pepper in your dishes.
Always use caution when cutting a spicy pepper.
It is the capsaicin of a pepper that is found in the pepper's oil makes it piquant and if this oil gets on your skin or in your eyes, it will burn.
Use gloves when cutting a chili pepper.
Afterwards, wash your hands thoroughly.
Hot peppers include chili peppers, Chinese and South American varieties, to name a few.
Chili peppers are rated on a scale called the Scoville Heat Scale to determine the heat or piquancy that they hold.
A Scoville Heat Unit or SHU is the rating given to a pepper to determine how much capsicum a pepper contains.
A green bell rates at 0 SHU while the jalapeno can rate in at 2,500 - 5000 SHU.
One of the hottest peppers, the naga jolokia from India, can rate in at over a million SHU.
When shopping for chili peppers for your favorite chili con carne or salsa recipe you probably will not have access to a Scoville Scale.
So how do you tell how hot a pepper is going to be? Here are 5 tips: 1.
How thick is the pepper? Thicker produce is often less spicy than thin ones.
2.
What is its size? Thick large or long chili peppers will have more heat than small or thin chili peppers.
3.
Hold a taste test.
When buying chilies grab an assortment to take home and taste.
You can learn about the piquancy of a pepper by having a taste test.
Remove the end tip of a pepper and touch it to your tongue.
The oils in the pepper are what you taste when judging for heat.
The tip will be mildest part of a pepper.
Keep milk or bread by your side to absorb the heat if it is too hot.
Water will not get rid of a hot taste in your mouth.
4.
Is it ripe or unripe? The color of a pepper will give you a hint as to how hot it is.
For instance, a light green pepper will be milder than a dark green one.
The darker the pepper, the more ripe it will be and its heat level goes up because of it.
Hot cherry peppers are red when ripe.
So a red, hot cherry pepper will be the spicier choice.
Remember that the type of chili plays a factor, too.
A green, unripe Habanero will still be one of the hottest varieties available and its ripened sister will just be hotter.
5.
What type of pepper is it? Of course the heat level of the chili pepper will also vary by the strain that is.
Jalapenos are actually a milder form of pepper than most would believe.
The jalapeno rates in at 2500 to 5000 SHU while a Serrano doubles that at 10000 SHU or more.
Both peppers will add a degree of piquancy to your recipes like chili con carne.
One more tip worth mentioning.
The seeds and the inside white rib of a chili pepper are the hottest part of a pepper.
To tone down spiciness, remove the seeds and ribs before using the pepper in your dishes.
Always use caution when cutting a spicy pepper.
It is the capsaicin of a pepper that is found in the pepper's oil makes it piquant and if this oil gets on your skin or in your eyes, it will burn.
Use gloves when cutting a chili pepper.
Afterwards, wash your hands thoroughly.
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